Stand of the Exiles Ultimate Edition
by Billiedoll
Summary: Two draenei find adventure and romance in this re-telling of Semiiramis' Stand of the Exiles
1. Chapter 1

Note: This is a work in the same vein as _Doom: Repercussions of Evil Mark II_.

Chapter 1

A hole in the ground.

That was all Anchorite Ranith had at the moment. A hole in the ground where she hid from the rain that poured down over Zangarmarsh. Where she hid from everything that had happened over the last four days. Ever since she had left the safety and security of Shattrath City.

But then, Shattrath wasn't safe anymore. The blood elves had come to destroy it, as the orcs had before them, and they were succeeding. Both of her parents had stayed to defend the city, sending her away so that some part of them would continue on. "For if you are to die," her mother had said, "it will be as if we never existed." Ranith had turned to her father, hoping to see some reticence, any chance for her to stay in the city of her birth. But there had been none.

And so she fled. She recalled the stories she had heard of her people's history. The story of the draenei was one of pilgrimage. They wandered constantly, seeking a place to call home. Each new place, each new city they built, was only a temporary reprieve from this. _And now_, Ranith reflected, _I have become like so many draenei throughout the ages; born to a home that I will never see again._

She took a moment to take stock of her surroundings. It was perhaps more than a hole in the ground, but it was not deep enough to merit being called a cave. It might have been the den of one of the strange fungal creatures of Zangarmarsh, but it was currently unoccupied. As the cooling of the air signaled the coming of night, Ranith prayed silently that any prior occupant of the den find someplace else to bed down.

The young priestess had finally let herself relax enough to doze off when a noise outside the den brought her instantly to full alertness. She looked to see a large dark shape approaching, backlit by the glowing mushrooms of the marsh. She reached into herself, feeling the darkness within. The priesthood had taught her to use that darkness as a weapon, and it was a practice at which she excelled.

Its movements were heavy and accompanied by the rattle of metal on metal. Ranith noted the glint of phosphorescent light reflecting off of a sword. She marshaled her strength, readying a bolt of Shadow to hurl at the shape.

Suddenly, the sword lowered and a booming laugh rang out. "Don't worry. I'm a friend."

Ranith halted her attack and focused her eyes on her target. As she adjusted her eyes to the dim light, she was able to see what it was that approached her. It was a male of her species. He wore plate armor that was not brightly polished, but well maintained. Heavy pauldrons rested on impossibly broad shoulders. His expression was full of youth and energy, but the tendrils that grew from his chin gave him the look of a bearded sage.

He took stock of her as well. She was slender and willowy, the slightly blue light of the mushrooms behind him brought out the red in her purple skin. Her long brown hair had not been brushed in several days, and the silk robe she wore was caked with mud.

"Where did you come from, girl?" he asked.

"I left Shattrath four days ago. And my name is Ranith."

This inspired another booming laugh from the male. "You must have been traveling in the swamp this whole time. I left Shattrath three days ago and only today was my path forced into the mud of the swamp."

This was true. Prior to this exodus, Ranith had rarely wandered past the walls of Shattrath and knew little of the world beyond it. When she was told to leave for the Harborage, her parents had little time to brief her on geography. A few simple directions and her faith in the Light were all she had to guide her.

Which would have been enough, if her "as the crow flies" route hadn't carried her into the marsh. Her small, delicate hooves penetrated deeply into the soft mud, throwing her off balance several times. Between falling down, cursing herself for falling down, and being extra careful with her footing, she could easily believe that she had wasted a full day.

"I'm Alexei, by the way. Are you hungry?"

Ranith nodded eagerly. She hadn't eaten in days. What provisions she had brought with her had not lasted long.

Alexei slung a small pack from his back. He drew out two of his rations, passing one to Ranith. As she ate, she felt Alexei's eyes studying her. There was no interest in his eyes, only study. It was a healer's gaze, assessing her for illness or injuries. She had learned the same technique herself as part of her anchorite training. That gave her one more piece of information about her visitor.

"Why didn't you stay to defend the city, Vindicator Alexei?" Her tone was accusatory.

"I was ordered away. My commander told me to report to Orebor Harborage, and he's someone it doesn't pay to argue with." He sighed. It was clear to Ranith that he would have preferred defending Shattrath to running through Zangarmarsh

She was reminded of her parents. How she had argued with them, begging to stay and fight. She had shouted, ranted and raved, but her mother refused to budge. She simply stood, letting Ranith spend herself, and then calmly explained the situation again. "Draenei do not fight for their past. We remember our past. We fight for our future. Now go. Be our future."

The young priestess was brought back to the present by Alexei's voice. "You are tired. Go ahead and sleep. I'll keep watch. I'll wake you when it's my turn to rest." He pulled a small blanket from his pack and covered her with it.

A few hours before sunrise, he roused her. "Wake up, Ranith. It is your time to watch over me."

The young priestess sat up and stretched, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Even though she hadn't slept for the full night, she felt remarkably rested. Just being able to sleep knowing that there was someone preventing the monsters of the marsh from eating her was a significant boon.

Alexei took a moment to look out over Zangarmarsh. No one and no thing seemed to be paying any attention to the small enclave. He turned back to Ranith. "Help me with my armor, will you?"

He unlatched the buckles that held the heavy shoulder plates onto the chest piece. Ranith lifted this gingerly over his head and set it down beside him. Already he was at work freeing himself from his breastplate. It took both of them to manage it, but the bulky chest piece finally came free and was set down next to the pauldrons. He then slipped off the thick cotton padding, revealing a broad muscular chest.

There were few scars. Alexei had clearly used the healing powers he had been taught as a vindicator to ensure that his wounds healed cleanly and swiftly. What commanded Ranith's attention was an unusual pattern of welts and bruises that were imprinted across the pale blue skin of his torso.

"Have you been sleeping in your armor?"

"No choice. Take it off and I become a much easier target for beast and bandit alike. Keep it on and I'm uncomfortable but alive." He grunted as he pulled off one of his greaves. As he handed it to her, she touched him and called upon the small spark of the Light within her to cast a healing spell.

He finished his undressing procedure and stretched out his newly healed muscles. Pulling the small blanket over himself, he quickly fell asleep.

For the first time in days, Ranith did not feel like a fragile leaf left to the winds of fate. She now had a companion, an ally. She prayed to the Light for fortitude and resolved that nothing would harm Alexei while he got his well-earned rest.

She spent the next several hours contemplating her situation. A number of times, she thought of trying to wake the vindicator to see if he had any news of her parents or the fate of Shattrath. But each time, she realized that his news was only slightly fresher than her own. As she looked upon him sleeping soundly, she could not bring herself to rouse him.

Finally, the light of the morning sun began to filter through the marsh foliage. It took barely a touch to awaken Alexei. After sharing a quick, simple breakfast with Ranith, he set about the ritual of putting on his armor. Ranith tended to her own rituals, thanking the Light for the new day and renewing her prayer for stamina. She then took an extra moment to grant this gift to the vindicator as well.

Emerging from their den, Alexei pulled in a deep breath of marsh air. Glancing around cautiously, he waved Ranith to him. "Come on. If all goes well, we can be to the Harbor by nightfall."

Ranith stumbled several times as she tried to keep up with her companion. "Is this your first time away from the city?" Alexei asked.

"No," Ranith replied defensively. "My father once took me to see the teromoths outside the gates."

That was just a mere step outside of the city, Alexei knew. The fact that she had made it as far as she had had required both willpower and sheer luck. He found himself simultaneously pitying her lack of experience and admiring how far she had gotten in spite of it.

The vindicator walked through the mud with a slow and careful rhythm. Keeping his weight on his rear foot, he pointed his front hoof downward to spear into the mud. He slowly shifted his weight forward until his hoof encountered something solid enough to stand on. Repeating this process allowed him to make slow but steady progress through the muck of the swamp.

"I trained at Orebor. If I remember rightly, there's a road a mile or so in this direction. We should make better progress if we can reach it as soon as possible."

He reached out to Ranith as she slogged through the mud to catch up with him. Now that she had an example to follow, her progress through the mud was much more stable. She still couldn't match Alexei's pace, but she was able to waste less time with her face planted in the bog.

Once Alexei saw that she had a good grasp of the technique, he risked conversation. "Were you close to your father?"

She paused for a moment, trying desperately not to imagine her father's bloody corpse rotting on the streets of Shattrath. Finally succeeding in that, her face became wistful. "I don't think close is really the word for it. He always made time for me, made sure that I was taken care of, but I cannot say that I knew his heart. He was so devoted to his family, his troops, everyone around him. With all that he gave, I don't know if he had anything left of himself at the end of the day."

"Troops? Your father was a fighting man?"

"A vindicator, like yourself. He joined the Peacekeepers as a young man. My mother was a combat medic attached to his unit. It's where they met."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. I'm an only child. What about you?" Ranith was getting tired of being reminded of her parents. She greatly feared that she might never see them again.

"Only child as well," he replied. "My mother died when I was quite young. I never knew my father."

"Oh, my." An image flashed through her mind. She imagined her newfound friend as a small boy living on the streets of Shattrath, stealing for his food, sleeping in the storm drains.

He must have seen the look on her face. "I was raised by my grandmother. She worked very hard to make sure that I had all that I needed," he explained. "Ah, here's the trail. Right on target."

The road was much firmer than the swamp mud they had been traveling in. Now Ranith only sank hoof-deep into mud, instead of down to the hock as she had previously.

"So you followed your parents into serving the Light?" Alexei asked. Conversation would help pass the time, he decided. Also, she would be easier to protect if she trusted him. The fact that she was a beautiful female and a captive audience didn't hurt either.

"No. It was my own decision. If it had been otherwise, my parents would have counseled me against it."

At that moment, one of Ranith's hooves slipped out from under her, seating her firmly in the mud of the trail. And she cried. She cried four days of fear, anxiety, humiliation, loss, and pain. It flowed down her cheeks in small but steady rivulets.

Alexei turned, reaching to help her up. When he saw that she was crying, he grunted. He was preparing to give her a dressing down for giving up, but then he reminded himself that she was not a vindicator. She was a girl who had been forced into extraordinary circumstances with no preparation at all.

He knelt down in front of her. He reached out with a hand, gently lifting her chin so that she could look him in the eyes. "It is difficult, I know, to lose so much in so short a time. To be thrust into the unfamiliar, pulled away from the comfortable with no warning whatsoever. But we are alive. The fact that we can feel the pain should give us hope. Each day is a blessing, we are told. And so it is. Even today."

Somewhere between the sobs, Alexei could have sworn he heard a chuckle. He rose, keeping his hand extended so she could pull herself up. "Come. Should either of us live to see tomorrow, it cannot be worse than today."

She took his arm and lifted herself. Her hooves dug into the mud as they resumed supporting her weight. A few nervous steps followed, but soon they were making good time towards Orebor Harbor again.

Suddenly, Alexei held out a hand, signaling Ranith to stop. "Be careful," he said. "We are very near Serpent Lake. There may be nagas about."

"Nagas?"

"You've never seen one before, have you?" Ranith shook her head. "Of course you haven't. Pray that you don't. They are quite vicious when provoked. And they're easily provoked."

Although they couldn't silence the squelching sounds their feet made in the mud, they made sure to walk on the side of the road farthest from the lake. Ranith looked toward the lake warily, hoping to catch sight of these creatures while hoping that they did not see her.

She got her wish. Some distance from the road, a male naga was sunning himself on a rock. The sunlight made his scales glisten. His head was tilted back and his mouth was open, which made Ranith think of a dragon roaring. The naga's torso was narrower than a male draenei's, but still well formed. Pleasurably so, she thought, until Alexei broke her reverie with a tap on the shoulder.

"Let's not spend any more time here than absolutely necessary," he reminded her. "Our objective is to make it to Orebor Harbor in one piece."

She blushed, her blue blood rushing to her cheeks.

"Besides, a girl like you probably has better things to stare at than nagas."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her tone defensive.

"I'm sure a belle of the ball such as yourself probably had a hundred suitors back in Shattrath. If you were close to choosing a favorite, a Peacekeeper commander like your father could probably ensure that he was spared, as we were."

Ranith's face turned to stone. "There was no one," she stated firmly. Her mother had always been trying to fix her up with one eligible male or another. She never liked anyone that her mother approved of, and her mother never approved of anyone she liked.

"What about you?" she asked, trying to deflect attention away from herself.

"No one," he admitted. "Sure, there were many females who would like to be attached to a vindicator, but very few of them were willing to see beyond that."

The priestess found this amusing. "There is more to Vindicator Alexei than simply vindicator? I'm surprised."

"There are many things that would surprise you about me."

The sun had just gone behind the Blade's Edge Mountains as the Harborage came into view. "Let us hurry!" Alexei called behind him as he ran. "You might even be able to sleep in a bed tonight!"

That inspired Ranith to dash as quickly as she dared over the mud of the path. Soon, they were close enough to see the guards patrolling the outskirts of the town. A bit of shouting and waving managed to attract their attention.

"Alexei, old friend. It's good to see you!" came the greeting. "The Prophet told us to stop expecting newcomers after today and we were giving up hope."

"Haruun! I didn't think I'd ever see you again. The Prophet, you say? He still lives?"

"Come, you must be tired. A bath and some rest and then you'll hear all about it."

The bath was a simple tub and a bar of tallow soap, but Ranith savored it as if it were a spa with rose petals in the water and perfumed oils. The bed was likewise unadorned, but felt luxurious after days spent sleeping in varying types of mud.

She awoke with the dawn, for once looking forward to what the day would bring. She borrowed a linen shift from one of the other females and set about washing her robes and setting them to dry in the sun.

On her way to breakfast, she encountered Alexei again. The differences between "clean" Alexei and "dirty" Alexei were slight, but noticeable. His armor had a slightly brighter sheen to it. His hair was pulled back in a tail, rather than the loose mop he'd had when she met him. He no longer smelled of sweat and mud, but now oil and polish.

"Enjoying life among the refugees?" she teased.

"You haven't noticed, have you?" he smirked.

"Noticed what?"

"Look around you. Look at these people. Where are the wounded? Where are the children, the elders? Only the able and the strong are here."

"What are you talking about?" Ranith's brow furrowed.

"This isn't a refugee camp. This is a war camp. The refugees were probably sent to Telredor, which is much easier to defend. Anyone who could still fight was sent here."

Ranith could not argue. The simple dress she wore was borrowed from a fire mage. Nearly everyone in the camp was wearing some kind of armor. Even her priestly robe incorporated secrets of the tailor's art that were useful for defense.

They entered the inn, which had been converted into a mess kitchen. Ranith and Alexei picked up plates and walked down the line as a variety of stewed vegetables and meats were unceremoniously served. Exiting the inn, they sought a small patch of ground to sit upon.

Halfway through their meal, Haruun found them. In the morning light, Ranith could see him much more clearly than she had the previous night. His skin was a pale blue, made paler by the sheen of his armor. Dark brown hair was tied in a topknot that was visible over his well-developed forehead crest. A glimmering broadsword was strapped to his back.

"Good, I have found you. And together, even. The Prophet wishes to speak with the two of you."

Ranith was shocked. Throughout her training with the Aldor Priesthood, she had always thought of Velen as a distant figure, beyond the concerns of ordinary draenei. And now this legend was asking for her. Even Alexei needed a moment to catch his breath after the news.

They hurriedly finished their breakfasts, eager to learn what this great figure had in store for them. Although there were some permanent structures at the Harborage, they were now outnumbered by tents, lean-tos and other temporary placements. Haruun led them to a tent that was slightly larger than the rest.

The first thing that struck them as they entered the tent was the light. As their eyes adjusted the realized that it was not simply light, it was _the_ Light. One of the crystalline entities known as the naaru occupied the tent. Cosmic emissaries of the Light, they had protected and guided the draenei people for millennia. Both Ranith and Alexei knew that the divine powers they wielded were granted by these enigmatic beings. They bowed their heads reverently.

"So good of you to come."

It took the pair several seconds to realize that the voice had come, not from the naaru, but from the tent's other inhabitant. An imposing elder draenei stood to the side of the crystal form. Prophet Velen. Again, both of them bowed.

"I am told that you are the last people to arrive at the camp last night," Velen said, breaking the somber silence.

"That is true, Prophet," replied Alexei.

"As soon as I heard the news, I knew I had to meet you." He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "Prophecy is a gift, it is true. But it is not a map of the future. It is visions, feelings, and intuitions. I had one such feeling last night upon hearing that we had late arrivals. Meeting you two personally has only confirmed this feeling."

"What is this feeling?" Ranith implored.

"Each of you has a destiny awaiting you. A thread of fate pulls each of you through trials and troubles. These tribulations will only be ended when your threads are woven together."

Both of them were stunned. Ranith was first to speak. "Are you saying I'm supposed to marry him?"

Her mother playing at matchmaker had been bad enough. To have Prophet Velen take on the same role was beyond comprehension.

"Of course not. Your hearts and your minds belong to you. You have the power to heed my words or ignore them. Simply know that they are true."

"Prophet?" Ranith asked. Velen simply nodded his assent. "Does this destiny involve retaking Shattrath?"

"No, my child. The Burning Legion has drawn too close. It is not our future."

"But surely we must make some effort. All the lives we have lost!" Alexei exclaimed.

"Which will have been wasted if we throw even more lives away on their behalf." Prophet Velen spoke quickly, cutting him off. He paused and his voice became thoughtful. "We must again seek a new world, a new home. A more heroic task I could not wish for. Will you join me in making a stand for the future of our people?"

"I will" Ranith stated firmly.

"I am yours to command, Prophet," said Alexei.

"Make preparations for battle. I fear another clash is unavoidable and we must be ready for it."

With a final bow, they took their leave of the elder draenei.

"It's not right," Alexei muttered through gritted teeth. "So many good people dead and we run away."

"There's nothing else to be done, Alexei. If the Burning Legion gets their hands on us, then we are all dead. We must have faith." Ranith ran to keep up with his angry steps.

He shook his head angrily. "We stand on the eve of battle against an unbeatable foe and you seek to placate me with homilies you learned in seminary!"

Ranith leapt in from of him, stopping him cold. "We were also taught that our faith is most important when it is challenged. It is challenged now, Alexei. Is your faith faltering?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Anchorite Ranith. I am pleased that you have arrived safely."

The voice was firm, accustomed to making pronouncements. It was a voice of authority. And it was familiar.

"Exarch Varinus." She turned to face him. The splendid panoply of the high priest contrasted sharply with the thrown-together nature of the camp. She knew that her father had regarded the exarch as a friend, but she couldn't get past his overbearing exterior. His disapproving glare was meant to imply that not only did he not approve of something, but that the universe did not approve of it either.

"It is said that the Prophet intends to abandon Shattrath."

"Perhaps he sees no future in it."

"And what future is he leading us toward? Nobody seems to know."

"Maybe the Prophet himself doesn't know. But I have no doubt that what he does know will come to pass."

"What will come to pass, I wonder? Does he see a draenic golden age? Or perhaps simply mere survival on another world?" He spit out the word "survival" as though it tasted bitter on his tongue.

Ranith began to understand. The exarch had been pulled from his city, his position, and his power quite suddenly. She felt her own losses keenly. It wasn't hard to imagine what it must be like to someone like Exarch Varinus.

"Has the Prophet asked you to join his poorly defined cause?" His questioning look seemed to penetrate her soul. She found herself turning her face away from him.

"He has asked me to stand for our people's future," Ranith replied firmly. Back in Shattrath, she might not have been so bold. After the events of the past week, the only things she really had left were her hopes, and she was not going to let the high priest crush them.

"What about your young man?"

"Vindicator Alexei?" Ranith answered, careful to include his title. "He is his own man, not mine. He helped me through Zangarmarsh, that's all."

"And yet I'm told that you two had an audience with Velen together. I understand that circumstances are extraordinary, but you've got to keep your head about you, girl. It's tempting to want to hang on to the first thing you find. I don't know how much you got out while you were at seminary, but I feel I should remind you that not everyone has your best interests at heart. Find out what he wants from you before you ask anything else of him."

Ranith was accustomed to heeding Varinus' words, but this was becoming too much. First the Prophet tried to throw her and Alexei together, and now Varinus was trying to separate them. Had the loss of Shattrath addled everyone so much that they had to meddle in her personal life?

"Velen, too," Varinus continued, sensing her failure to take him seriously. "Remember that his vision is for our people as a whole. You are simply a small part of that. You are one draenei, easily sacrificed for the good of all. Are you willing to trust that you won't die in his mad scheme?"

"I can take care of myself. You did teach me that much, Exarch."

"I hope so, my dear," he sighed. "I hope so."

*

Alexei wasn't faring much better. Only a few of the vindicators at the camp were familiar to him. All the others had trained in different classes or been assigned to different units. He was trying very hard to connect with them, but the lack of common experience made it difficult.

When he finally saw Ranith walking around the camp, he was overjoyed. She was wearing her priestly vestments, as they were finally dry and free of mud. What he had thought of as pretty back in the swamp had transformed into ravishing.

"Ranith!" his voice boomed with delight. "Am I ever glad to see you!"

"I last saw you an hour ago," she teased him.

Alexei shrugged. "Feels like an eternity having to deal with these guys." He jerked a thumb toward the other vindicators. "Back in my old unit, 'fighting machine' was just an expression. These guys mean it." Now he leaned in conspiratorially. "I saw you talking with that exarch. Were you able to learn anything from him?"

Ranith shook her head. "Not much. Just that he doesn't trust Prophet Velen. Since the Prophet's plan does not guarantee him the comfort and power he enjoyed in Shattrath, I can understand him trying to undermine the Prophet's army."

"I can tell you one thing: Whoever wields this army will be someone to be reckoned with. These vindicators may not have much personality, but they have skill to spare." Alexei's head tilted slightly in shame. "I'm inclined to wonder if they even need the two of us."

"Someone must have seen our value or else we would not be here," she said.

"True. Let us make ready. A battle is coming soon."

*

"Vindicator Alexei. Anchorite Ranith."

They both started upon hearing their names. They looked up to see a tall, distinguished draenei vindicator. His manner was brusque and efficient.

Alexei rose swiftly and stood at attention. Ranith merely looked up from her kit, which was spread out on a cloth on the ground. They had been inspecting it before they were interrupted.

"You've both been assigned to my strike team. We could use someone with your offensive power," he said as his eyes quickly assessed the younger vindicator. Turning to Ranith, he continued, "Priest. Not a very good healer, I'm told."

"That's not the only thing we learn in seminary," she asserted.

"As long as you're useful, you'll fit in just fine. The name's Laretos." He offered a firm handshake first to Alexei and then to Ranith. "Do either of you have any combat experience?"

"Yes," replied Alexei. "I defended Shattrath's eastern perimeter before I was sent here."

A critical eye turned toward the young priestess. "Zangarmarsh isn't very safe for a girl out on her own. I have learned to take care of myself," said Ranith defensively.

"She'll be safer and more useful taking up the rearguard position, anyway," Alexei inserted helpfully.

"We won't have a rearguard. This isn't a battle. This is an assault. We go in, eliminate the enemy, and we capture our prize.

"Pack up your gear and follow me. Meet the rest of the team. We leave at first light tomorrow."

Alexei helped Ranith pack her kit, then shouldered his own. Following Laretos led to a group of seven draenei in well-worn armor eating their lunch around a picnic blanket. The speed and focus with which they ate indicated a thoroughly grounded military mindset. A female in plate armor with twin swords strapped to her back was the first to look up at the new arrivals.

"Welcome to the team," she said. "If there's anything you need before we leave tomorrow, just ask. If you decide to sit this war out, say something before we leave. Once we take our first step on that path, there's no turning back."

"We're not sitting on the sidelines," Ranith declared. Alexei was surprised by the strength of will she displayed.

"Good. Just thought I'd be nice and give you the chance. I hoped you wouldn't take it, though. We need every able body we can get."

That they were able Alexei had no doubt. That they could hope to compare with these veterans was a doubtful proposition.

But for the moment, there was nothing to do but eat lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As soon as the sun rose the next morning, the camp was abuzz with activity. Supplies that could not be carried on the backs of the army were loaded on to elekks. Soldiers gathered around the mess tents to get the last cooked breakfast they would have for a while.

Just outside the camp, the army began to form. Laretos' squad was combined with two other squads, forming a 25-man assault platoon. Towards the rear of the formation, Ranith watched as the 40-man support platoons and the supply elekks maneuvered themselves into line.

Alexei looked ahead and saw the Prophet astride a small riding elekk. He raised an arm, a single finger pointing to the sky. After a moment, the army was silent. Finally, the Prophet brought his arm down, his finger pointing forward. This was the signal for the army to march.

After about an hour of marching, Alexei took a moment to get his bearings. "We're marching north."

"North?" Ranith asked. "What's to the north?"

"Mostly ogres and demons," Alexei replied. "And what's left of Farahlon."

"Farahlon? My parents spoke of it occasionally, but they stopped whenever they knew I was listening."

"You were probably to young to hear about it," Laretos butted in. "You're still probably too young to hear about it. Can't be helped now, I suppose."

"Why? What happened there?" she asked.

"When the orcs shattered this world and cast it into the Twisting Nether, Farahlon was one of the hardest hit places," Laretos explained. "I wasn't there, but I've met some veterans who were. According to them, it went from a lush forest to a desert in an instant. Now it's just a bunch of small, dead islands floating in the Nether."

"Ogres, demons and death. What a future for our people," muttered the young priestess.

"I'm sure that the Prophet sees a way past the dangers," Alexei tried to reassure her.

"Or he intends to give our enemies a final battle to remember us by," was Laretos' suggestion. This inspired some of the younger fighters to break into boisterous laughter and juvenile boasting.

Suddenly, the army came to a halt. The only way through the mountains was a narrow cave system infested with spiders. The warriors in the lead squads hacked at the spiders while the mages cleared the webs with their fire magic. Ranith tread carefully through the caves, trying to avoid the charred fragments of spider carapace and the puddles of ichor.

The Blade's Edge Mountains were everything that Ranith had heard. The mountains ascended, not into peaks, but spikes. She had no trouble imagining the hapless bird that tried to land here, only to become impaled upon its intended perch. The higher spines faded into silhouettes through the heavy red dust that hung in the air.

As the Prophet led them into a deep chasm, Ranith couldn't help but feel that the mountains grew around them. Their spiky peaks now pierced ever more deeply into the sky.

Her attention was finally pulled away from the mountains by a murmuring from the squads in the lead. An ogre village lie in the ravine. The decision from Prophet Velen was that they would not pick a fight with the ogres, but would return any force with equal force.

Instantly, Ranith's squad began preparations for battle. She led them in a quick prayer of fortitude. Laretos called upon blessings of wisdom and strength for the party. A mage in the group cast a spell of insight to help all of the spellcasters in the group ease their magic into being.

The procession continued on, moving steadily forward as the path led them through the ogre camp. It seemed as though conflict was inevitable.

Sure enough, the ogres took offense at the column of draenei marching through their territory. Their shamans called on the power of lightning to smite the intruders. The more brutish ogres wielded their heavy clubs, eager to smash the interlopers into pulp.

Draenei commanders barked orders and soon the army had broken into small groups. It took five draenei to combat each ogre that chose to fight. Alexei, Laretos, and a female warrior who Ranith had learned was named Eudolia charged into battle with their gigantic foe. The two vindicators glowed with the power of the Light. Eudolia may not have had divine powers, but she held her own by demonstrating her own training and skill.

Ranith hung back, trying to make sense of the chaotic scene in front of her. Finally, isolating Alexei with her mind, she called out the power word of shielding. A mage, the last member of her group, was chanting arcane syllables as a pyrokinetic blast built up between his hands. Although Ranith had no talent for fire magics, she reached into the dark parts of her soul and cast forth a shadowy bolt of pain to wrack the monster.

Finally, the relentless assault proved too much for the creature to bear. Whatever spirit it had faded and its lifeless body fell to the ground with a titanic thud. This scene was being repeated all around them with infinite variations as Ranith watched. As the ogres began to realize how little hope they had against the combined might of the draenei army, they retreated to the huts and hovels of their village. Some of the fighters were full of rage and wished to continue the fight, but a word from the Prophet stayed their hand.

Then came the cleanup. The anchorites gathered to attempt resurrection spells on any warriors who had fallen. Twice in as many generations the draenei people had been massacred, leaving only a fraction to carry on. Every life was precious and every attempt had to be made to maintain their numbers. Ranith found herself drafted to this duty despite her clumsiness with restorative magics.

Not everyone could be saved. Sometimes the corpse would be too damaged to restore. In some cases, the warrior's spirit had already moved on to its final reward. The incantation itself was remarkably taxing, so only a few attempts could be made before risking the ogres' ire again.

Finally the army regrouped and proceeded to march north at the direction of the Prophet. Ranith was relieved when their journey finally led them out of the ravine.

The marching was tedious enough that Ranith allowed her mind to wander. It wasn't able to wander far. Her thoughts kept returning to their battle and the death and destruction she witnessed. Her previous experience with healing spells had been simple: treating small wounds, helping someone recover quickly and cleanly from an accident. Her knowledge of the resurrection spell was simply because it was a standard part of her anchorite training. Today had been the first time she had ever had need of it.

In her mind, her failures stuck out farther than her successes. For every warrior who had returned to life under her touch there were two that were beyond saving, it seemed. A ranger had been torn in half by an ogre. A vindicator had given his all for the Light and had been swept into it in his final moment.

A tear formed at the corner of her eye and began its slow descent down her cheek. A light blue finger interrupted its progress. Ranith looked up at Alexei. "Death is never pleasant. Be thankful that this is all you have ever seen of it."

Eudolia turned to look at the two young draenei. "We're not having a pity party back there, are we?" she asked, sneering.

"No," was Alexei's sharp reply. "We are simply acknowledging that we have lost people back there, not simply tools or weapons."

"I don't know about you, but I _am_ a weapon, just as much as my swords are," bragged Eudolia.

"So when we lose you, you wish to be marked in the loss column of some quartermaster's spreadsheet? Or would you rather be mourned by family and friends?"

"We were all rookies once, Dolly. Remember when we first fought together during the Orcish invasion? You couldn't keep anything down for days afterwards. Cut the new guys some slack," Laretos reminded her.

Over the next few days, they bonded as a squad. Laretos and Eudolia regaled their squadmates with old war stories. Ranith told them of days spent enjoying the delights of Shattrath City and studying to become a priestess. Alexei told tales of his patrols through Terrokar forest.

Finally, the army reached the edge of the world. Ranith had been taught that their world had been shattered, but this is the first time that she had been confronted with the fact. The only thing connecting the mainland to a floating island of sickly purple rock was a workmanlike wooden bridge. It was wide enough to allow the army to pass, but it creaked and groaned disturbingly as they walked over it. This was made all the more terrifying by the knowledge that if the bridge should break, they all would fall into the eternal nothingness of the Twisting Nether.

Ranith was stunned as she saw the immense pipeline that ran along their path. It was transparent, showing titanic energies being channeled along its length. She stared in awe of the raw power that must be traveling through it.

Even more amazing was the eventual destination of this mighty conduit. A towering crystalline structure erupting from the dead earth that surrounded it. It seemed to be pulling the energy from the nether above them, shaping it into a vortex.

Although she had never been outside of Shattrath before this, the structure looked oddly familiar. Her heart soared as she realized why that was. It was a naaru structure, built by the mysterious crystalline beings that guided the draenei people in the ways of the Light.

"The naaru!" she exclaimed. "They are here!"

"The Prophet was leading us to our new hope," Alexei responded, his voice filled with reverential awe.

"Hope is one thing. Achieving victory is something else altogether," Laretos said.

"Always the cynic, eh, Larry? If the naaru were trying to keep something from the Burning Legion, this would be a great place to hide it. For all we know, it could be a weapon we can use to give the Legion the ol' what-for," said Eudolia.

"Maybe I am cynical," Laretos admitted. "But it doesn't mean that I'm wrong. I think we've got a long hard fight ahead of us. Best not let your guard down so soon."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The immense structure hung in the sky far over their heads.

When the Prophet called for a halt to the march, his followers broke ranks almost immediately. Everyone began milling around, marveling at the towers, spinning wild theories about the nature of the floating palace of crystal. Ranith was curious, preferring to listen rather than voice her own opinions.

Some thought it was a weapon to destroy the Burning Legion. Others believed it to be the new home of the draenei people, inaccessible to anyone who would try to destroy them. Another camp claimed that it was a vehicle to carry them on the next leg of their exodus. Smaller groups devised mixtures of these theories. They said it was a floating battle fortress that could be used to smite their enemies from above, or that it was intended to be a home that could hide in the convolutions of the Twisting Nether itself.

Alexei was not content to simply gossip. He peered to the head of the formation, hoping to see what clues Prophet Velen could offer. He saw Velen in conference with Nobundo, the Broken who was sometimes called "Farseer". Several of Nobundo's acolytes were present as well, focusing their minds and wills on some mystical task. Once this task was done, they spent a good while explaining their results to the Prophet, who listened with patience.

Once the acolytes had been dismissed, the first news began to filter through the massed draenei. This naaru fortress had been captured by the elves that had allied themselves with the Burning Legion. The keep in the center was too heavily protected by the elves for them to capture, but an assault was being planned for one of the satellite structures. It would be a vehicle that could take them to another world. The acolytes had given it a name: Exodar.

Runners and messengers came close behind this, gathering up sorcerers and ordering to milling crowd into formation. Once she had rejoined her squad, Ranith looked to the front of the formation to see arcane energies forming into a portal large enough for the army to pass through. Peering up at the satellite, she could barely see the telltale glow of the portal's terminus.

Laretos shouldered his war hammer. "All right, squad. Weapons ready. The battle for our future begins now."

Rather than the orderly march they had maintained for days, the army rushed forward in a massive charge. Ranith could hear Eudolia's voice joining that of the other warriors in an ancient draenei battle shout: "Liiiiiiiiraaaawi Zh'nqanz!"

***

The transition through the portal was disorienting, but the press of bodies behind her prevented Ranith from catching her breath. Only by hanging onto the back plate of Alexei's armor was she able to keep track of him at all. She silently cursed herself for not showing more bravery and composure in the midst of the battle for her people's freedom.

Once she was able to focus again, she threw a shielding spell around herself. It was not as effective as the heavy armor of her compatriots, but it would have to do. Especially since she knew her robes would mark her as a priest, a healer, and therefore an important strategic target.

Finally, Ranith got a chance to examine her enemy. They were surprisingly small and delicate. Beautiful, as a crystal goblet is beautiful. _Just as fragile, too_, Ranith noted as she saw Laretos smash one of them with his hammer.

Fragile as they were, there certainly were a lot of them. And each one fought viciously. It was difficult for Ranith to see much, as Alexei, Eudolia and Laretos formed a wall of muscle and steel to protect her and the squad's mage. Taking advantage of this tiny bubble of tranquility, the mage began chanting and gathering elemental fire between his hands. Although Ranith didn't have arcane magic, she was able to channel her fear, sending it outward in a sickly purple bolt. She was sure she heard a scream as some frail elf ran in terror.

Heartened, she called out a dark word of pain, casting it toward another elf. Then she saw Alexei falter, staggered by a well-placed blow from one of the tiny fighters. Although she was not very good at healing, she felt the need to help him; after all that he had helped her through since their fateful meeting in Zangarmarsh, she was glad to have some means of repaying him. She focused on her hope and gratitude and directed it towards the young vindicator.

And so, slowly, they advanced through the hallway. Weapons danced and spells flew and warriors on both sides fell. But the elves kept coming. As she kept flinging shadowy bolts at her foes, she neglected to maintain her shielding spell. The only way she realized this was when a delicately crafted dagger failed to bounce off of the invisible barrier and pierced her chest below the collarbone.

She staggered for an instant, trying to catch her breath. Pulling the knife from her body, slick with blue-tinged blood, Ranith was surprised to hear a sickening sucking sound from the newly formed hole in her chest. The blade had punctured her lung. Thinking quickly, frantically, she reached within herself, calling on the gift the naaru had given all draenei. It was more primal than her magic, activated by instinct rather than learning. Touching the Light directly could only be tolerated in small doses, but was sometimes necessary.

Ranith felt a surge of energy course through her, revitalizing her body. As she looked through the slash in her priestly vestments, her wound closed into a pale blue scar. Her lungs filled with air and she held it for a second, treasuring the feeling of being whole again.

Finally, they broke through. The broad hallway gave way to an immense cylindrical chamber. In the center of this space was a crystal nest of some sort. Surrounding this was a pack of blood elves, ready to defend their ill-gotten fortress. A squad of rangers and wizards laid down covering fire, drawing attention from the elves so that the rest of the army could move freely around the room. The army broke into squads, each one charging into one group of elves or one of the humongous alcoves that branched off from the main area.

Laretos led Ranith and the rest of the squad into one of the alcoves. Shafts and beams of light illuminated the space. Pedestals were set into the floor, each supporting statues that seemed to be made only of light. They certainly presented no obstacle to the blood elves, as missiles and spells flew through them to strike the invading draenei.

For all of its beauty, this vault of lights was distracting to fight in. Every second wasted penetrating an illusion gave the enemy another chance to strike. It didn't help matters that the images were of eredar, demon lords of the Burning Legion. They were the tainted siblings to the draenei race and their dogged pursuers over the millennia.

Finally, somewhere between mental and physical fatigue, Ranith's shielding spell faded. An arrow from an unseen attacker penetrated the flesh of her hip. It was certainly painful, but much less life threatening than the dagger that had previously pierced her lung. And the pain passed quickly. So did all of the other sensations in her leg. She took a few limping steps before her leg stopped supporting her weight. The young priestess tumbled to the floor.

The numbness quickly spread. That arrow had been poisoned! All she could do now was simply lie there, letting the venom overtake her. As the fuzziness spread through her brain, she could have sworn she saw one of the images moved. Nearly four times her own height, the demon looked down upon her. He smiled broadly, menacingly.

"So, Velen has sent more toys for me to break. I have all sorts of games to play. You like games, don't you?"

She could not summon the energy to fear him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Ranith!" Alexei shouted.

The battle was over. The purple crystal walls were splattered with the red blood of elves and the blue blood of fallen draenei. Corpses of both races littered the floor. Alexei bounded through the mess, leaping over the larger obstacles.

Finally, he found her. She was hanging in midair, her upper arms held up by invisible threads so that they were perpendicular to her body and her forearms dangling limply from her elbows. Instead of her priestly vestments, she wore a strangely colored body stocking. Her left leg up to her waist was covered in black fabric, her right in red. Her right arm and half of her torso were dark, with the left side colored crimson. Her horns had been pierced and little bells were strung through them.

Alexei was still in shock when the rest of the squad arrived. Laretos and Eudolia froze, looking up at the suspended figure. The stunned silence of the group was broken by the arrival of Prophet Velen himself.

"What have we here?" the Prophet inquired.

"I don't know," came Alexei's reply. "I lost track of her during the battle. When I found her again, she was like this."

A snicker escaped the elder draenei's lips. "Someone has a flair for the theatrical." Making a scissors gesture with the first two fingers of his right hand, he snipped the air just above Ranith's elbows, then just above her head. Her invisible bonds weakened until she collapsed onto the floor with a thud and a jingle.

"Rise, my child," the Prophet said. The young priestess' eyes fluttered, and then snapped open.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The battle is won, but your part is not yet over." Velen turned to Alexei, who had been watching the proceedings in awe. "To the naaru, both of you."

Ranith's mind had wandered, trying to piece together the chain of memories that had led to this moment. It was a struggle, and one she would have to put aside. She had a job to do, a purpose, and so she propelled herself in the direction that the Prophet had indicated. Alexei made leaping bounds to overtake her, so that he could stand between her and any dangers that may still be lurking in the Exodar.

The pair arrived quickly in the main chamber, where the last remaining elves had gathered, surrounding the naaru nested in the center. Draenei streamed in from all of the branches of the structure to liberate the Exodar's core. Alexei settled into the front ranks, swinging his sword at the straggling elven defenders.

Ranith dropped into her casting stance, sending spell after spell into the beleaguered enemy forces. To the surprise of all, including Ranith, each sickly purple bolt was accompanied by a cackling shriek. Previously, her battle magics had consisted of gathering up her own pain and fear and insecurity and hurling them outward. Now it seemed that she had a direct connection to the Shadow, the darkness that opposed the Light. A dark word escaped her lips and an elven warrior's face seemed to melt into a horrifying grimace.

Chaos. Panic. Disorder. These were her weapons against the elves of the Burning Legion. She took her vengeance upon them for destroying her home, her family, and her _life_. She made them scream until they collapsed in utter agony.

Something deep inside Ranith caused her to look up from the destruction she had wrought, into the crystal matrices of the naaru above her. Suddenly, all sight, all sound, all sensation faded away, leaving Ranith alone with the naaru.

Greetings, Priestess.

Ranith was stunned by the mental contact. She had to concentrate, forcing the rage and anger out of her mind in order to reply. Greetings.

It appears that the eredar has chosen you to be a pawn in his games.

Fury welled within her, then fear. Is that all that I am? A pawn of darkness?

No, Priestess. Your destiny is not yet written. It is for you to write. No one else.

Her mind returned to her body with a shudder. As she looked around her, she saw that the fighting had ended. Anchorites tended to the wounded and attempted to resurrect the warriors who had fallen. The battle was over.

***

Ranith attended to the wounded numbly, without saying a word. Her heart was a roiling stream of emotions that she could not release. Not yet, anyway. Too many lives depended on her maintaining her composure and focus. Too many people needed healing. Too many lay dead, waiting for a second chance at life and, perhaps, freedom.

Alexei bounded towards her, full of energy. "Ranith! I've been wondering what happened to you. I didn't know you could fight like that! I was worried after that eredar attacked us, but we ran him off, and then we couldn't find you -"

She pressed her face into his chest. It was partly to receive comfort from him, but also because she couldn't bear to look him in the eye. He awkwardly put his arms around the young priestess.

"What's the matter?"

"The eredar. He tainted me with fel magic." Tears ran from her glowing eyes.

"How? When?" Alexei's muscles froze in shock.

"In the room with the illusions. I had been shot with a poisoned arrow. The eredar appeared and cleansed my blood by mixing it with his own." A gasping sob made way for more tears. Alexei's arms folded around her, squeezing as tightly as he dared. As much as he feared that her taint would spread and grow, causing her to become one of the Broken, at this moment, she needed him and he could not abandon her.

"Rain check on the pity party, you two!" Laretos' shout broke them out of their reverie. "The Exodar's getting ready to launch and we need everybody in the stasis pods."

Alexei broke away, his devotion to duty pulling him forward. Ranith gripped his arm firmly. "Alexei. Just one more thing before we part. If I am cursed to live among the Broken, or worse, I want you to remember me as I was." She reached behind her neck and unclasped the locket that hung there. She placed it in his hand and closed his fingers around it.

It was tiny in Alexei's hand. A delicate touch with his clawed fingernails opened the locket. Inside, a tiny cameo of Ranith's profile had been delicately carved in draenite.

"Jewelcrafting was my father's hobby. When I left for my seminary training, he gave this to me. Keep in close to your heart."


End file.
